Jack Straw

(Newser) -
A top British official said today that Scotland sent the Lockerbie bomber to Libya to facilitate a multi-million-dollar oil deal. Contradicting PM Gordon Brown, Justice Secretary Jack Straw told the Telegraph that the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi helped BP sign an agreement with Libya. "I’m unapologetic about that,...
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Minutes strengthen rumors of oil deal

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More Lockerbie troubles for Gordon Brown. Newly released documents suggest the UK prime minister didn't want Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi to die in a Scottish prison, the London Times reports. The development will further fuel speculation that Britain tacitly led the push for Megrahi's release in exchange for a...
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(Newser) -
Ronnie Biggs, part of a crew that stole millions from a British mail train in 1963 in the notorious Great Train Robbery, has been issued a “compassionate release” from prison to undergo medical treatment in his final days, the Guardian reports. Biggs, 80, has pneumonia, and doctors say there...
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Home secretary's surprise announcement frees new PM to overhaul cabinet

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British Home Secretary John Reid will stand down, he announced yesterday, giving PM apparent Gordon Brown space to rejigger the cabinet when he succeeds Tony Blair. Tensions have run high between the old and new Labour leaders' supporters, but Reid stressed that his surprise departure was personal; the Guardian reports...
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